Ebola Survivors Battle Fear, Discrimination in Eastern Congo

 

Arlette Kavugho was released from an Ebola treatment center in eastern Congo in March, but her problems did not go away.

The mother of six children tried to return to work in her hometown of Butembo. Kavugho has a job as a seamstress. She makes clothing for other people.

But after returning to work, her customers were afraid they would get Ebola from her. Her doctors declared that she was no longer infectious¹, but the customers stayed away.

So Kavugho found work caring for children suspected of having the disease. Then other people accused her of falsely claiming to be sick to get the job.

To this day, Kavugho has not been able to find the place where her 19-year-old daughter and two-month-old granddaughter were buried. They both died of Ebola while she was receiving treatment.

“I try to find the dates on the crosses…but I always come back empty-handed,” the 40-year old said. As Kavugho spoke², she held a picture of her daughter with a handwritten note saying “adieu,” the French word for “goodbye.”

As of October, more than 1,000 people have survived the 14-month Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo. They have been helped by new medicines that have proven effective. The drugs fight the virus when they are given to patients in the early days of treatment.

More than 3,200 people are known to have been infected with the virus. Of that number, more than 2,100 have died.

The survivors³ call themselves “les vainqueurs” - French for the term “the victorious⁴.” They struggle to return to their former lives as they deal with long-term health issues like bad eyesight and headaches.

Another problem survivors face is stigmatization⁶ by family members and neighbors. They also fear the return of Ebola.

Vianey Kombi, 31, was teaching mathematics when tests confirmed his Ebola infection last November. Like Kavugho, he found it impossible to return to his former job and now cares for Ebola patients.

“It hurts when I walk past the school where I was teaching, and the children who recognize me start screaming in my direction: Ebola, Ebola,” Kombi said.

“We have all been accused of receiving money to say that we had Ebola,” he said. “It hurts a lot when your community treats you as corrupt⁷ after you’ve been at your sickest.”

Accusations⁸ like this are relatively⁹ common in eastern Congo. Many people there see the outbreak as a money-making plan made up by the government and foreign organizations.

“I was even accused of having received money to bring people from my community to the treatment center, to kill them with the virus and then sell their organs,” said Moise Vaghemi. He survived Ebola in August.

Armed attacks against medical workers have slowed efforts to stop the spread of the disease.

Health officials say survivors can show their communities that Ebola is not a death sentence. Some survivors to return to treatment centers to work as caregivers for children with Ebola. Many of the youngsters¹⁰ have lost parents and other family members to the disease.

The antibodies that developed while they were sick means the survivors can spend a lot of time with patients without wearing heavy protective clothing.

In Katwa, outside of Butembo, Noella Masika washed up a 1-year-old girl suspected of having Ebola.

Masika lost 17 family members to Ebola, but she counts herself lucky to have survived.

“I feel an obligation…to the fight against Ebola,” she said.

I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

customer – n. someone who buys goods

cross – n. a sign or marker representing Christianity

outbreak – n. the sudden or violent start of something unwelcome, such as a disease

stigma⁵ – n. a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something

antibodies – n. a substance produced by the body to fight disease

1 infectious   

adj.传染的，有传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。
• What an infectious laugh she has!她的笑声多么具有感染力啊！

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

5 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

6 stigmatization   

n.描绘，陈述

参考例句：

7 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

8 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 youngsters   

n.孩子( youngster的名词复数 )；少年；青年；年轻人

参考例句：

• We followed the youngsters at a more sedate pace. 我们跟在年轻人后面，步子稍慢一点。
• The camp is for youngsters aged 8 to 14. 这次夏令营是为8至14岁的少年儿童安排的。